Containers or cartons with printed matter describing the contents therein are well known. Information about the contents of the container may be printed directly on the container or placed on a label which in turn is secured to the container. For instance, printed disk-shaped inserts are commonly placed in receptacles in the closures or lids of certain containers. One such arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,653 to Whaley.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,802 to McLaren, et al., discloses a scalloped-edge paperboard insert for use with a plastic lid. The circular plastic lid includes a substantially flat top surface and an upwardly and inwardly projecting circular bead thereon. The diameter of the circle defined by the outermost points of the scalloped-edge insert is greater than the diameter of the circle defined by the upwardly and inwardly projecting bead of the lid. This configuration facilitates the retention of the insert in the lid.
A similar prior art lid and insert combination is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This plastic lid is manufactured by Packer Plastics, Inc., of Lawrence, Kans. FIG. 1 illustrates the lid 20 having a central recess for receiving a generally circular, scalloped-edge insert 24. The edge of the insert 24 includes alternating nodes 26 and indents 28 to define the scalloped shape. The lid 20 further comprises an outer vertical skirt 32, a horizontal top wall 34, and an inner vertical wall 36 adjacent a central planar panel 30. The central panel 30 and circumferential inner wall 36 define the central recess 38 for receiving the insert 24. An angled flange 40 extends upwardly and radially inwardly from the intersection point of the top wall 34 and inner wall 36. The flange 40 defines a circle along its uppermost edge which is smaller in diameter than the circle defined by the nodes 26 of the insert 24. Thus, the insert 24 can be pressed into the recess 36 and held therein by the angled flange 40. However, due to the relatively loose fit provided by the vertical inner wall 36, the insert 24 is prone to popping out from the recess 38 if the lid 20 is flexed to any great extent, such as when the lid is manually removed from the container, or when the lid is automatically placed on the container during manufacturing processes.
To secure the closure to the containers during manufacture, high-speed automated capping machinery is often used, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,501, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In a typical automated capping machine, the lids 20 are stacked on a pair of substantially parallel and generally horizontally disposed rods over a horizontal row of conveyed containers. One by one, the lids are fed downward through a chute and mated with uncapped containers. Before dropping through the chute, the lids must be separated mechanically or with jets of air and the angled flange 40 sometimes catch on an adjacent lid, wherein two lids may fall into the chute causing a binding of the machine. Each vertically oriented lid is guided from the bottom of the chute so that a lower edge contacts the leading edge of a container, whereupon a roller flexes and re-orients the lid horizontally to cap the container. When the printed insert is placed in the recess on the lid shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of McLaren, et al., before the lid passes through the automated capping device, the insert is prone to popping out due to the flexure of the lid during the capping step. This undesirably slows the capping process.
There is thus a need for a more reliable configuration of a printed disk insert and plastic closure combination which reliably retains the insert in place.